Well, a week ago I requested that everyone keep those along the Louisiana coast in their prayers because of Hurricane Gustav. Now it's Texas' turn as Ike is coming to town. The latest forecast has it hitting close to the Houston/Galveston area and it's predicted to be a Cat. 3 if not stronger (Currently it's a cat. 2).

On a personal level, please say a little extra prayer for my family. We are from the coastal area around Houston/Galveston and have already evacuated to San Antonio to wait out the storm.

I believe there are a few other people on this forum from the greater Houston area so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers too.

Hope you and the family remain safe, Bill, and that the same remains true for others in the area. Grace (Beachcomber) lives in Houston. Also hope that any property damage is minimal, or at least as minimal as can be expected from a major storm. We'll keep all of you in our prayers.

Since nothing can be done about preventing Ike from coming, I'm praying and hoping that it downsizes to a Cat 1 or less by landfall. I don't know if that is possible at this point, but with God anything is possible.

There are two different steering currents involved. One steers it to the right and then the other one takes over and directs it to the left. This makes this Hurricane difficult to predict where it is going to hit. I don’t whish this hurricane on anyone but it would be better for it to hit south of Galveston, then to hit Galveston with Houston right behind. Houston is the fourth largest city in the USA and if the hurricane hits it with its predicted cat 3 to 4 winds it will be affecting the lives of millions. If IKE hits land between Corpus Christie and Galveston only thousands will be involved. So besides praying for a less forceful hurricane I think we also need to be praying for where all the people are and that the Hurricane misses them.

Remember Gustav missed New Orleans by 85 miles plus being degraded down to a Cat 1 at new orleans. (it was a cat 2 at where it did hit land.) A direct hit by Gustav would have raised the ocean waters another 5 feet that would have flooded New Orleans.

It appears that Florida has been spared this year with hurricanes after our 4 landfalls with Fay. It is not fun living on the edge of your seat during the hurricane season so I will be praying that Ike weakens before making landfall and the areas affected have minimal damage.

Per an email from Grace today, she is going to "hunker down" and ride out the storm at home. She is grateful for your concern for her and her Houston area of Texas.

KC may not be in the hurricane "belt", but we sure are tired of the rain here. I'm not sure if our weather is remnants of Gustav, Hannah or Ike, but it's the pits!

My thoughts are with those of you who are dealing with the challenges of the hurricanes this season.

We too are battered by Gustav-remnants (or is it Hannah) and are fed up with way too much wet and windy weather this season.

But we are praying for all in Ike's path ! Especially Grace and Texas!

Grace did get my package of HL's I bought from her off to UPS yesterday, but when I checked that status it says "EMERGENCY CONDITIONS BEYOND UPS' CONTROL". Might be awhile till I see that package.

But that's unimportant compared to the safty of those in the Houston area, including Grace.

My prayers for Ike are the same as they were for Gustav. "Many it downsize to a Cat 1 or less and affect the least amount of people, pets, and wildlife as possible".

Here is a copy of an e-mail which was sent to me on Thursday by UPS.

Hurricane Ike Service Update

UPS is preparing for Hurricane Ike, which will likely make landfall in Texas during the weekend. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in the coastal areas of the state, including around Beaumont, Galveston and Houston. Safety is our first priority, and UPS encourages our employees in the area to take all necessary precautions.

Eight UPS centers in eastern Texas are currently closed: Victoria, Angleton, Texas City, Baytown, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Pasadena, League City

Pickup, delivery, and On-Call Pickup Service will be delayed in affected areas. The scheduled hours at UPS Customer Centers, The UPS Stores and UPS Freight terminals will also be impacted.

If you plan to send a shipment to east Texas, UPS recommends contacting your recipient to make sure they are available to accept the package. Further updates will be provided on ups.com

Track your shipments

There will be no service in the following ZIP Codes Thursday, September 11 or Friday, September 12:

Texas

77015 77437 77549 - 77555 77713
77017 77440 77560 - 77566 77720
77034 77442 77568 77725 - 77726
77044 77455 - 77458 77571 - 77575 77901 - 77905
77049 77460 77577 - 77578 77950 - 77951
77058 - 77059 77463 77580 77954
77061 - 77062 77465 77582 - 77583 77957
77075 77467 77585 - 77587 77960
77087 77470 77590 - 77592 77961 - 77964
77089 77475 77597 - 77598 77967 - 77971
77252 77480 77611 - 77617 77973 - 77979
77258 - 77259 77482 - 77483 77619 77982 - 77984
77275 77486 77622 - 77627 77986 - 77991
77336 77501 - 77508 77629 77993 - 77995
77404 77510 - 77512 77630 - 77632
77414 - 77415 77514 - 77523 77639 - 77643
77419 77530 - 77536 77650 - 77651
77422 77538 - 77539 77655 - 77665
77428 77541 - 77542 77670
77432 77545 - 77546 77701 - 77710

Also got an e-mail from Grace today. She told me that she and her dog would probably be heading over to the assisted living facility where her mother lives. All of the residents families and pets have been invited to wait out the storm there.

Our thoughts and prayers are going to the safety of everyone in Ike's path. My daughter-in-laws best friend and family live in Galveston. No amount of pleading from us would get them to leave. They plan on waiting out the storm at home like Grace.

Yes Roland, I had an email from Grace, saying she'd do that. Hope she and her little Buffy are safe!
And of course the same goes for everyone in Ike's path - including your daughter-in-laws friend Cyndi!

I hope Grace, Bill and thier families are safe.
Kim and her family live in La Port and got power back today. Cassie's grandparents hit a tree in thier car and her grandmother broke her ankle. As of last night they couldn't get back to the house because of the roads being closed.

Had a brief note from Grace this afternoon. She was without power for two weeks and was appreciative of the mild cold front that helped keep things manageable. She got back phone, cable and internet today. Imagine she is going to be busy trying to catch up. Glad that she and her dog are safe and getting back into the swing of things.

Hope all the others are also OK.

I also heard from Grace. Lost her fence and patio cover, but all else was fine.